Is Gears Online more fun small (like it is now) or big (like it could be in the future). Is growth good? Is having more site visitors and message board members a good thing? Let me know what you think.

Small is good, and big is good, too.
Even if a site gets big, members whose participations are visible will always be a relatively small number.
If one shows up often and bring up interesting stories, he'll never feel the isolation a big site may bring.

Tachyon, I think you have a vision to make this site in to a comprehensive site, and I feel you and GearsOnline have full potential to reach that goal.
If you're worried if current members would feel uneasy with a larger community, you shouldn't.
Larger community means more web presence and exposure to attract more quality members.
Both current and future members would benefit from a diverse community.

Well said Hitori , big doesn't mean intimidating or less fun for the members . Everyone benefits from the exchange of info and ideas , more people visiting the site means more members and more quality info making a well rounded and well informed site . I am a member of a couple of Star Trek sites and there are literaly hundreds of members at each one , but the number of active posters at the forums are less than 25 on average . Not everyone is going to be active in posting all the time , most fall into the post every so often catagory , so don't worry over growth ...it's a good thing .